Description

Titles read: "NORTHANTS TUG-O-WAR - ONE PULL AND THEY'RE IN!".

Geddington, Northamptonshire.

Various shots of people arriving in the village of Geddington for a tug of war contest. - 'The Battle of the Brook'. The north side team ride on a trailer towed by a tractor. Two men ride in a horse-drawn carriage. Villagers gather at the River Ise over which the contest is to take place. A town crier rings his bell and reads from a charter. Huge crowds stand on both sides of the river.

We see the prize for the contest - a barrel of beer which is suspended on the tug-of-war rope that spans the river. The two team captains drink to one another. The teams get firm footholds then the contest begins. Various shots of the two teams tugging away. C/Us of feet on the soggy ground, team members straining (oo-er). The south side team are pulled into and across the river.

The men are helped out and the second 'pull' starts. After much tugging and straining, the south team are pulled across again. One member dives in head first. The men crowd to the bank to be helped out.

10 telling images selected from British Pathé's extensive WWI footage. 'The war to end all wars' was a war without parallel: over 70 million military personnel were involved and over 17 million people died.